There are many different types of curry, all of which come down to a few basic ingredients. You start with cooked onion, ginger, and garlic, add generous heaps of spices, and then bring it together with a liquid base. Indian Curry cooking is more about technique than any recipe since the final flavor is dependent on the spices you like and have on hand. Once you get down the basic principles of curry making you'll be whipping up the Indian classics in no time.

Prep time: 10-20 minutes

Cook time: 35-60 minutes

Total time: 55-80 minutes

Steps

Method1

Understanding the Curry Method

1

Understand the basics of any curry making. There are really only 3 important principles to curry creation. Once you have these three things down, you'll be able to easily adapt and customize your curry to your own taste preferences. Simply mix and match ingredients into the following "formula" to get your own curry cooking:

Onions/Garlic/Ginger: These three ingredients form the basis of most curries, but some Indians actually skip the garlic.[1] The longer you cook these ingredients the richer and darker the curry will be.

Generous Spices: Curries need big spoonfuls of spices, added early to cook and soften. There is no "wrong" combination of spices, so work on finding the mixtures you love.

Thickening Agent: What is going to give your curry it's body? This is frequently one or more of the following -- yogurt, coconut milk, stock, water, pureed or diced tomatoes, chili paste, or spinach.[2]

2

Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. You want the oil to be hot and shimmering. You can use whatever oil you'd like, but 1–2 tablespoons (14.8–29.6 ml) of peanut, canola, or vegetable is your best bet.

For a traditional Indian dish you should use Ghee, also known as clarified butter, for oil.[3]

3

Toss in any aromatic seeds, like coriander, cumin, or mustard, until they begin to crackle. Once the oil is hot, toss in any combination of 1 tablespoon (14.8 ml) coriander/cumin/mustard seeds, fenugreek, and asafoetida, depending on your recipe. Curries are heavily spiced, but also heavily improvised[4], so feel free to try any combination of spices you'd like.

For your first recipe, try 1 tablespoon (14.8 ml) cumin and coriander, plus a pinch of asafoetida if you have it.

Crackling means the seeds are hopping around in the pan, dancing.

4

Finely chop one onion and add it to the oil. Dice the onion into small, roughly 1/2-inch squares and toss it into the oil. Cook until the edges are translucent and they begin to turn golden, 5-10 minutes.

The longer you cook the onions, the richer the final curry will be. You can also stop right as they edges turn clear for a lighter yellow curry.[5]

5

Chop and add the garlic and ginger after the onions have cooked for 3-4 minutes. Finely chop up the 2-inch piece of ginger and 2-3 cloves of garlic, to taste. Add them in to cook and soften with the onions relatively soon after the onions go in. Toss in a pinch of salt, to taste, as they cook.

Onions, garlic, and ginger are considered the "trinity" of Indian cuisine, much like onions, carrots, and celery are the basic trinity of French cooking.[6]

6

Toss in generous helpings of ground spices. Curries are heavily spiced dishes, and you need to let the spices cook in with the dish to get the best flavor. Add 1 tablespoon of ground chili powder, cardamom, cayenne pepper, turmeric, cinnamon, and/or curry powder to the oil. Add 1⁄2 tablespoon (7.4 ml) of salt after the spices go in. Stir them in and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

You want your spices to cook, but not burn. If there is not a lot of liquid in the pan from the onions and oil, mix the spices up with 2–3 tablespoons (29.6–44.4 ml) of water to rehydrate them and prevent burning.[7]

For your first recipe, try out a tablespoon each of chili powder, turmeric, cardamom, and curry powder.

7

Add any spicy chilies or flavorings. The longer you cook chilies, the sweeter they become, so add these towards the end of the cooking if you want extra heat. Chop up 2-3 scotch bonnet peppers, Habanero cayenne, Serrano, or finger chilies and toss them in to cook with the onions and garlic, or simply add 1-tablespoon of dried cayenne pepper. with the other spices.

8

Add your main ingredient -- meat or vegetables -- to start browning. Add 1-2 chopped chicken breasts, shrimp, or lamb to the dish and an extra splash of oil. You can also add vegetables, like 1 can of chickpeas, 2 cups of cauliflower, one eggplant, chopped into 1-inch cubes, chopped pineapple, tomato, or a potato, diced into small cubes.

If you are adding meat, try browning the outside in a separate pan. Then add it to the curry before moving on.

9

Add your liquid to cover the ingredients, then cover and cook on medium-low heat. Add any mixture of water, stock, or coconut milk to the ingredients slowly, just until it starts to cover the vegetables and meats. Stir well and cover, lowering the heat to a simmer.

If you want garam masala in your dish, add 1-tablespoon now. It does not need to cook as long as the other spices.

For your first recipe, try adding one can of coconut milk for an easy, thicker curry, or 2 cups of vegetable, chicken, or beef stock.

10

Add your thickening agent, if you desire one. This is the time to add 2 cups chopped spinach (saag), 1 cup of unsweetened yogurt, 1/2-1 cups tomato puree, 2-3 tablespoons chili paste, or even a handful of ground peanuts or almonds. Toss in a pinch of salt as well, to taste.

Not all curries will need this, especially if you used coconut milk earlier on. You should still experiment with thickening ingredients, especially tomato puree -- the base of red curries.

For your first curry, try adding 2 tablespoons of tomato puree, then adding more to taste.

11

Let the curry simmer until your desired thickness. Let the curry cook on low. You'll see the oil and water separate, but this is a good thing. Sample the sauce frequently, adding more salt and spices as desired. This is a good time to add "heat," or spicy flavorings.

Serve with a garnish of coriander, unsweetened yogurt, crushed nuts, or lemon juice. Curry can stand up to long cooking, so feel free to keep it on low while you finish up other recipes. Just make sure it is hot when you serve it, topped with any accouterments you might enjoy. Serve alone or over a bed of rice.[9]

Method2

Adapting Your Curry

1

Understand how different sauces are created. When you go to an Indian restaurant there are a variety of different dishes that all use the same basic ingredients and technique used in curries. The difference is primarily in thickening agent used:

Pulse or blend your ingredients ahead of time for a smoother sauce. This technique, used in many restaurants, creates a curry paste of onions, garlic, ginger, and spices, which cooks faster and results in a smoother curry. To make it, use a food processor to grind everything up into a thick paste, then add it to the hot oil after the seeds have crackled.[11]

3

Remember that cooking curry is about method, not a specific recipe. There is no one "curry" recipe out there. Curry is about mixing and matching ingredients using curry cooking technique, as outlined above. Still, to make the most basic, run-of-the-mill curry you would add and cook, in this order:

Play with the spices you want to add. You should add spices generously, tasting and sampling every chance you get. Start with a tablespoon of any of following, adding more or less to fit your preferences:

Cumin (essential)

Coriander (essential)

Turmeric (essential)

Ground chili powder

Cardamom

Cayenne pepper

Cinnamon

Curry powder

Smoked paprika

Garam masala

Asafoetida (just a pinch, also called "hing")

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Community Q&A

Cumin is the best to add for a stronger typical curry flavor, and garam masala can be added toward the end of cooking for an aromatic lift. For a more savory flavor, add a generous tablespoon of dried fenugreek leaves.

When buying spices from a store, I was told by the store owner that for cooking meat, I should use ginger, garlic and onion. But for cooking fish, I should use only garlic and onion. Why would I not use ginger?

wikiHow Contributor

Ginger does not pair well with cooked fish, the flavor bleeds into the fish and gives it an off taste.

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Community Tested By:

Janet Robinson

wikiHow Quality Team

This version of How to Make Indian Curry was reviewed by Janet Robinson on February 16, 2016.

Co-authors: 60

Updated:

Views: 676,626

89% of readers found this article helpful.

139 votes - 89%

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89% of people told us that this article helped them.

BG

Brian Grose

Mar 4, 2017

"As a novice in the kitchen but a lover of good curry, I normally buy all ready mixed curry spices. However, I wanted to be able to make a good curry even without my bought mix. This article has helped me understand the principles of a good curry. Thanks."..." more

A

Anonymous

Nov 18, 2017

"I was unclear on how to begin. I wouldn't have started with the garlic, ginger or onions, and I was unsure the best way to thicken the curry. I'm looking forward to supper tonight, thanks."..." more

AD

Abhirami Dayanandan

Jun 30, 2016

"The article was really good. I didn't know how to make a chicken curry, so this article with pictures of each and every step helped me a lot. Thank you."..." more

JA

Jonathan Allen

Jul 18, 2016

"Brilliantly clear! Educational. I enjoyed the clarity and breakdown of essential steps and elements. Very helpful in grasping some curry essentials."..." more

A

Anonymous

Apr 20, 2017

"Clear steps with specific spices named and knowing it's to taste, not right or wrong was helpful. "

NJ

Nunja Jones

Jul 4, 2016

"Great lay out of what appears to be a complex dish made easy. Thank you. I will enjoy the outcome."